No more open manholes: BMC Chief Ashwini Bhide sets May 31 deadline to flood-proof Mumbai
3 min readMumbaiMay 16, 2026 07:32 PM IST
With less than a fortnight left for monsoon to begin, Mumbai’s municipal commissioner, Ashwini Bhide has directed all civic departments to intensify preparedness measures, including ensuring that no manholes remain open, water logging spots are tackled, and all ongoing road concreting works are completed by May 31.
During a monthly review meeting held at the civic headquarters, Bhide instructed officials to implement strict safety protocols across the city ahead of the rainy season. Bhide said that all manholes across Mumbai must be fitted with protective grills before the onset of heavy rains and warned officials to ensure that not a single manhole remains open under any circumstances.
The BMC’s key focus on manhole death incidents came after a 45 year old woman lost her life during monsoon in 2024. Prior to that, a renowned gastroenterologist, Dr. Deepak Amrapurkar lost his life after falling into an open manhole in September 2017.
Meanwhile, while reviewing the flood preparedness, Bhide directed officials to maintain readiness at all chronic waterlogging spots, including keeping dewatering pumps and emergency equipment operational. This year, the BMC has identified 496 flooding spots in Mumbai, which are low-lying areas that are very much likely to record a significant period of water logging during a moderate or heavy spell of rainfall. Last year, the number of flooding spots in Mumbai stood at 453.
“Every year new low lying flooding spots emerge. This is a common pattern that is directly associated with the change in land use system and overall natural drainage pattern. The south Mumbai areas have seen enormous construction work in the past few years that have led to the choking of drains because of silt and construction debris, due to which these places are now getting waterlogged within a short period of time following a heavy spell of rainfall,” a civic official said.
Around 150 such spots are located in the island city including the aforementioned areas. At present, 403 such spots have been tackled while the intervention measures for the remaining spots are being implemented, the official added.
Bhide also asked officials to regularly inspect underground utility networks such as water pipelines, drainage lines, and electrical infrastructure, especially in areas where large infrastructure projects are underway, to prevent disruptions during heavy rainfall.
The commissioner further ordered that all ongoing road concretisation and road development works be completed by May 31. She said roads should be constructed uniformly “from one end to the other” instead of in isolated patches. At locations where concrete roads cannot be completed this season, officials were instructed to construct high-quality mastic roads to ensure safe and smooth traffic movement during the monsoon.
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Special emphasis was placed on road safety measures near schools, hospitals, and other sensitive locations. Bhide directed officials to reinstall speed breakers removed during road works and use thermoplastic road markings and rumble strips wherever necessary.
